Letters: Don't forget 'hero' doctors, nurses

THE EDITOR: Please have pity on our doctors and nurses (our heores). Over the past few months, I have been speaking to two friends – one a doctor and the other a nurse. In each case on enquiring about “how they were doing,” their response invariably was “tired.”

I write this in the context of numerous reports of breaches of the Health Regulations regarding covid19, especially the non-wearing of masks and the urge to gather at fetes.

We don’t have to go as far as the United States to see the consequences of these actions. Right here in the Caribbean in our close neightbour, Barbados, we read a newspaper report about “200 cases in 24 hours after Boxing Day super spreader…” Imagine the pressure on our health system if we have any “Carnival super spreader events.”

Another potential stressor is the repatriation of our nationals. The Ministry of Health and Ministry National Security have from time to time drawn reference to the relationship between the numbers exempted to return and the availability of facilities.

I do not think they have emphasised enough the added pressure on our doctors and nurses who have to monitor these returning nationals, deal with those who test positive and trace their contacts.

I notice that the nation has stopped referring to them as our heroes. I hope that it is because of covid19 fatigue and not because of a lack of caring.

By the way, my only complaint about the handling of the covid19 crisis by the Government is that the Minister of National Security should be more forthcoming on the bases on which he determines his priority list for returnees, backed up by recommendations that come from his Covid19 task force (Ministry of Health, CMO, etc.) Communication always helps.

STANLEY LEE POW

Via e-mail